Dynamic characters dominate this story and will keep my middle schoolers entertained with their shenanigans. There is a lot readers could connect with such as autism, Jewish culture, ADHD, family dynamics, and young love. The family’s ambitions will engage kids.

In a Jewish family full of unique individuals, Lara is upset that she doesn't have something that is just hers. She creates FIASCCO, her new detective agency, disregarding the fact that she doesn't actually know how to solve mysteries and is basing all of her skills on her favorite book series. Lara's sister Caroline is starting middle school this year, and is a little nervous as she uses a tablet to speak to others. She's worried that she won't make any friends. Oh, and also, their dad is acting strange, and the rest of their family too.

Told from both girls perspectives, this book has a lot of emotion and a lot of growing. I felt bad for Lara, who tends to see things in black and white, because she doesn't realize that things are that way. She makes a lot of mistakes, but also does everything she can to make up for it. This was such a fun read though, and I hope to check out more of Kapit's work.

This was such a cute middlegrade, the story focuses on two Autistic sisters, one of which is non-verbal, as they try to uncover various family secrets and mysteries that are going on amongst their tight-knit relations. The mysteries within this novel were not what I was expecting but it turned out to be a fantastic story, with themes of sisterhood, friendships and bullying. This is definitely a novel I would recommend.

There's a lot I liked about this story: two sisters on the autism spectrum, parents that struggle through conflict and come out the other side still committed to each other, and a positive portrayal of religious (Jewish) faith. But ultimately, I didn't fall in love with the story, maybe because I expected more real mystery. A good story, not great. One I'll definitely recommend to those looking for middle grade books with neuro-diverse characters.

Thanks to the publisher for the e-ARC of this middle grade novel.

The Finkels are a family with a lot going on. Three of the four kids have autism (and one of the three uses an AAC device to communicate), the dad has ADHD, and their aunt and cousin have just moved in with them from Israel. There was a lot to like about this book. They celebrated Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur as a family (although Rosh Hashanah doesn't quite go as planned), and there are a lot of other ways kids are represented in a variety of ways in this book too. Consequently, I was left a little unsure as to whether or not there was too much going on in this book for some middle grade readers. I enjoyed the book and hope others will too.

This awesome middle grade book is less of a mystery, and more of a family story. Lara has decided to set up her own detective agency, and she doesn't need anyone's help. When Caroline joins Lara at middle school, Lara believes her job will be to protect her younger sister. However, Caroline decides that she can do middle school on her own. Both girls find that perhaps working on their own is not as great as they may have thought.

This book, by the author of award-winning author of Get A Grip, Vivy Cohen, is a fun family read, as well as including a diverse range of characters. The Finkel Family is Jewish, and there is neurodiversity to the characters, some exhibiting ADHD, some with Autism. It was refreshing to read about characters like these in a normal setting, living everyday lives. Excellent, inclusive read!

The premise of this book was well-thought out and intriguing. However, I felt the book itself was too busy. The multiple characters that represented different disabilities and autism felt too congested. Everyone in the family represented some marginalized community, but with so many, there wasn't enough room to truly dive into the characters. I felt the same with the mysteries. There were so many mysteries to solve, they all just seemed to compile at the end.
Nevertheless, I loved the relationship between Lana and Caroline. While Caroline was absolutely lovable, Lana was a difficult main character to root for. All in all, the book felt too cluttered to me and wasn't my favorite.

I was just going to read a few chapters before bed, but I ended up reading the entire book. This is such a cute middlegrade novel!

The Finkel family is a big, Jewish, neurodivergent family: the dad has ADHD and the two sister are both autistic. This book had representation I've never seen before: the two autistic sisters both have a POV and one of them is non-speaking and uses a speech device. I also enjoyed reading about the family's Jewish traditions, as the dad was Ashkenazi Jewish and the mum, and her sister and niece who lived with them, were Sephardic Jewish, and the book delved into the differences between those.

I think a lot of people reading this will pick up on Caroline, the non-speaking sister, being autistic, but maybe not so much on Lara, the other sister being autistic as well. As an autistic person, I thought the rep was really well written and I loved seeing two characters who are both autistic in their own different ways. They were both well-rounded, flawed characters who go through a lot of character development. What I appreciated most about the autistic rep in Lara was that the way she dealt with conflict, and resolving it, was just... profoundly autistic and I found it very relatable.

Wow, that was good. Really, really good. Probably my favorite read of the year! Lara and Caroline were such dear characters, and their voices were so captivating. I found Lara especially relatable. While she was frustrating in the way she went about things, her exhaustion with secrets and dishonesty was really relatable. I loved being inside the minds of these lovely autistic girls and seeing the way their minds work. My one compliant is how things left with Micah. ***Mild spoiler ahead*** I can't imagine that he wouldn't want to be Caroline's friend anymore, but Kapit left it so ambiguous that I don't really have any idea. On the one hand, I love that for kids who /do/ have a disagreement with a friend that doesn't result in them still being friends. But on the other, I felt that it went against his character to just /not/ forgive her. And it would have been really easy to wrap it up more clearly. ***end mild spoiler***

Overall, this book was a lovely story about, among other things, when the desire for honesty becomes just plain nosiness, and about the perseverance of familial love and forgiveness. I highly recommend it to any and all ages! It was very engagingly written and easy to read, and great autism and Jewish representation.

A great #ownvoices book about two sisters who just don’t seem to get each other—they have changed. One sister decides it is worthy enough to investigate, and the other sister is caught up in her new life at middle school. This is a great book to add to any collection who wants to feature sibling struggles, forgiveness, friendships, a Jewish family (Ashkenazi and Sephardic), and a neurodiverse family (both sisters are autistic with one communicating only via a speech-generating device and the father has ADHD).

Lara Finkel and her younger sister Caroline are navigating the challenging world of middle school. Lara is a budding detective who finds her investigative skills being put to the test by none other than her own family members. She struggles to keep what she finds out to herself and that gets her in trouble with other members of her family, especially when she uncovers that her father has lost his job. Caroline is trying to make her own way in middle school without the older Lara intervening to help her out. She makes a new friend who engages a reluctant Caroline in a plan to get back at another student who has bullied her. Told from the sisters’ alternating perspectives, this novel showcases close family relationships, highlighting the dynamics of the relationship between the two sisters. The book provides a positive portrayal of autistic characters, as both Lara and Caroline are autistic, with Caroline using an app to facilitate communication with others. The representation of the family’s Jewish culture is nicely woven into the story. Middle grade readers will relate to the sibling relationships and the power of forgiveness.

I received an electronic ARC from PENGUIN GROUP Penguin Young Readers Group through NetGalley.
Unraveling the mysteries in the Finkel family keeps Lara occupied and has turned her into a snoop and a spy. It has also damaged her relationship with her sister, Caroline. Readers see the struggles from both sisters' views. The mysteries really are secrets that family members are keeping for a wide variety of reasons. Several members are on the Autism spectrum or have ADHD. It's delightful to see this treated matter of factly and not have it be the main focal point of the story. Kapit created a story about middle school concerns that happens to include characters who are neurodiverse. Readers see them cope with this and see the issues it creates for them and also see how a family simply lives life together. They have the usual spats and discussions that take place in many homes; Caroline simply uses a machine to communicate as she is nonverbal. She makes some less than ideal choices in her first weeks as a sixth grader and learns from them. Unfortunately, Lara releases all of her frustrations and anger during their Rosh Hashanah and wounds most of her family - her sister, both brothers, her cousin, and most importantly, her dad. Learning to regain their trust and forgiveness completes the storyline as she seeks forgiveness from each.
Readers will identify with the characters and understand the emotions and stresses faced by families. They will feel like they are also sitting at the table or in the classrooms with Lara and Caroline.

This wasn't really a mystery novel. It was more a story about the Finkel family's daily life. I liked the inclusion of ADHD/ Autism, but I'm not sure how much I'll recommend this one. Younger kids usually like stories like these, and this is clearly MG as opposed to children's fiction.

I've seen this book shelved in a few places as a mystery. To be clear this is not a mystery novel. This delightful middle grade family drama follows a pair of autistic sisters: 12 year old Lara and 11 year old Caroline. It switches POV between the two girls.

Lara is an amateur detective who soon finds herself investigating her own family members and uncovering some unexpected secrets. Meanwhile Caroline is starting middle school and wanting more independence from her older sister.

As an autistic person, I really appreciated the autistic representation in this story. This is the first time I've read a book about a non-speaking autistic person and it was very exciting to see Caroline portrayed as a nuanced character who has to deal with being stereotyped based on the fact that she is non-speaking. I also appreciated all the little references to neurodivergence such as characters stimming and references to other family members being neurodivergent.

This line particularly struck me: "She always found it comforting to see her movements, so often mocked by other kids, in other people. In that way she was definitely lucky to have her family. As far as Caroline could tell, not being autistic of having ADHD was weird for the Rosanes-Finkel family."

This book was also interesting to me learning a bit more about Judaism. I really appreciated being able to read a book about a Jewish family. I also liked the way it was tied into the story with the emotional climax of Lara's story taking place on Rosh Hashanah and how a sermon at synagogue affected Lara's choices in the resolution.

Overall I found this to be a charming and delightful book about family and forgiveness. I would recommend this novel to all readers especially younger ones, autistic or not.

Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC copy of this book.

This is a middle grade book about family that includes elements of a mystery. The story resolves around two sisters named Lara and Caroline. Both girls are on the Autism spectrum, making this a unique voice for the main characters not found in many books. Lara starts a detective agency to investigate all the changes happening within her family. She starts to uncover secrets, and as we know... when secrets are found, trouble usually follows. This book was less of a mystery and more of a story about the dynamics found within a family. A unique book that will be great for 4th graders and up.

When Lara Finkel creates her own detective agency (FIASCCO) she couldn't have predicted all that she would discover about her family. Her investigative skills are put to the test with the mysteries of what her sister Caroline has planned with her new friend Micah, why did her father forget to pick them up from school, and what is her big brother up to?

The Many Mysteries of the Finkel Family is a contemporary middle grade with mystery elements. It centers around family, secrets, mistakes, and forgiveness. Although I had some trouble remembering who's who, I loved having the duo perspectives of the two sisters - Lara and Caroline.

Lara and Caroline happen to be fifteen months apart from each other just like I am with my older brother. They are also both autistic and Jewish. Caroline's autism presents in a way where kids might not be so nice about it. She doesn't speak. Instead, she uses a tablet with a British sounding voice in order for her to seem more grown-up. She's just starting middle school and doesn't appreciate her sister sticking up for her. She wants to be independent. She meets a new friend named Micah, who after Caroline is bullied by another girl, gets roped into pranking her. Caroline is a sweetheart who will also make clear what she thinks around her family. But she also hides behind her feelings especially with Micah as she doesn't want to lose him as a friend. Lara on the other hand wants to be independent but also feels like her cousin from Israel is trying to take away Caroline from her. Lara has always taken care of Caroline so she naturally does so even when Caroline protests. She does some investigating into various family member's secrets which gets her into some trouble. She grows from those mistakes and becomes a better person. I easily cared for both Lara and Caroline. They were both dealing with their own issues and struggling with them. Their stories are perfect for kids who are dealing with changes or coming of age in middle school.

The sisterly and family dynamics are the center of this story. I love family-centered stories and this one was written so well. I particularly liked the character growth and lessons the two sisters learned. I also enjoyed reading about all the various foods from their culture. The father loved experimenting with food. He even made a food I love, Spanikopita, and when it was mentioned it made me want to grab some for myself. The Many Mysteries of the Finkel Family is a wonderful story that shows no matter what you can learn and grow from your mistakes and your family will always have your back. Would recommend!

I managed to get through 12% of this book before I realised it was not for me. As an autistic person, I found it quite upsetting to read an autistic character saying "I am not normal" about themselves in chapter 3. That's some internalised ableism right there and it made me very uncomfortable. The conversation ended and the story moved on without that sentence being addressed or challenged in any way. I finished the chapter but I am not comfortable reading any further in case there is more internalised ableism in the book.

3.5 stars. This is a book about a Jewish family who is also neurodiverse, with both Autistic and ADHD family members. Note, I am not Jewish, but I am neurodiverse, as are all the members of my family, so I definitely viewed it heavily through that lens. I would not consider this an actual mystery novel, it is more a relationship dynamics novel.

Pros:
Diversity! I liked the fact there are interesting facts about Jewish holidays that can educate kids in an entertaining fashion. I also love that this book doesn’t vilify Autism and ADHD, but also doesn’t fall into over done savant tropes. Those are some great positives about this book, that kids need to read! Overall, I thought the book was cute and a pretty entertaining read.

Cons:
As much as I feel a little two faced saying so, the Autism portrayal started rubbing me the wrong way. The main thing is the constant “hand flapping”. While hand flapping is definitely a way Autistic people stim, it’s also one of the most stereotypical ones and there are so many other ways for Autistic people to stim. In a book that celebrates neurodiversity, I would have liked to see more variety to the representation of Autism here. I felt like the author did a much better job showcasing Judaism in a more fluid, less stereotypical way than the Autism.

As a whole, I do view this book as a positive step toward better representation for neurodiverse people! I just have to give my full, honest review.

This wasn't a mystery in the typical sense that one would expect. It's more of a family story, with one of the sisters investigating the changes she sees in her siblings and parents. Lara (7th grade) and Caroline (6th grade) both are on the Autism spectrum, but it presents in different ways for each of them. Lara seems to manage pretty well. Caroline uses a voice app on a tablet to talk since she doesn't speak. They both attend the same middle school, along with their cousin Aviva who recently moved in with them from Israel. Caroline finds a new friend at school and makes some questionable choices to keep his friendship. Lara hates the way everyone is changing and starts investigating them, wanting to solve mysteries like her favorite book character. This turns into full on spying. When she uncovers secrets on pretty much everyone, she ends up alienating her whole family. A great book for readers who like school and family drama. Recommended for grades 4 & up.